The company Ice Fresh, which has spent over 20 years developing technology to ensure fresh fish quality in frozen products, was acquired in 2021 by Roger Hofseth, majority owner of the seafood company Hofseth International.
– “We want to get customers worldwide to choose frozen fish thawed with ICE-fresh technology over fresh fish,” says Roger Hofseth. – “This technology can reduce the environmental footprint of fish transport by over 80 percent by shifting fish transport from air to sea, cutting food waste and shipping costs, while customers get better quality. I’m confident that this project will turn upside down how seafood is distributed globally.”
Innovation Norway has great confidence in the project and emphasizes that the ambitions align with their core mission. – “We aim to contribute to green growth in Norwegian industry, and increasing the export of Norwegian seafood in a more sustainable way is absolutely central to us,” says Ingrid Severine Rønstad, senior advisor at Innovation Norway and responsible for the project.
Testing the Technology on an Industrial Scale
Hofseth is seeing great interest in the project among key customers worldwide, and support from Innovation Norway makes it possible to test the technology on an industrial scale first in Norway and later in a pilot hub in the USA.
– “To succeed internationally, the technology must be in place before retail chains in the USA are willing to invest. Support from Innovation Norway allows us to develop, pilot, and demonstrate a large-scale thawing solution tailored to industrial supply flow with future-oriented production technology— a risk we couldn’t take on our own,” says Roger Hofseth.
Seeing Global Potential
Hofseth has been a pioneer in technology development and creating a comprehensive and sustainable value chain in seafood through Hofseth Biocare with a targeted focus on ensuring that 100% of the fish is used for human consumption. The Icefresh technology has the potential to significantly reduce the carbon footprint in the value chain.
– “In the long run, we will have many hubs worldwide that can be used by all players and for other types of fish than salmon and trout. This is a solution that could give the entire seafood industry a sustainable boost,” says Hofseth.
– “Hofseth is addressing two important areas in our strategy towards 2030: reduced CO2 emissions and increased exports outside of oil and gas. We look forward to seeing what this technology can contribute to this effort,” says Helge Gjerde, regional director at Innovation Norway.
With support from Innovation Norway, Hofseth is ready to take Norwegian fish distribution into a new and sustainable era